A slow start for the Motorola Xoom tablet has reportedly convinced manufacturers to delay the release of Android 3.0 Honeycomb-based tablets as they hope to compete with Apple's iPad.

Citing sources in Taiwan, DigiTimesreported Friday that Google has been "unable to offer sufficient support" for its partners with regards to Android 3.0. Issues with the tablet-centric mobile operating system have allegedly forced manufacturers to delay the launch of Honeycomb-powered devices.

Specifically, Asustek Computer is said to have postponed the launch dates of its Eee Pad Transformer tablets to the end of April and to May. Originally, they were supposed to launch on April 15.

And HTC is also said to have postponed the volume production date for its Flyer tablets. That device is set to launch in the second quarter of 2011.

Manufacturers have reportedly become wary of releasing devices running Android 3.0 Honeycomb following the launch of the Motorola Xoom, which is said to have had "lower than expected" sales. Problems cited by sources in Taiwan include "brand image, pricing, insufficient applications and the unstable performance of Android 3.0."

In addition, manufacturers are said to be concerned over the shortage of key components following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. Apple is said to have taken a proactive approach to the crisis, offering upfront cash payments to suppliers to secure components for devices like the in-demand iPad 2.

Motorola has not announced official sales figures for the Xoom, released in February, but one estimate earlier this month pegged total sales at just 100,000 units. Apple has not yet announced iPad 2 sales figures, but the first-generation iPad reached 1 million sales in less than a month when it debuted in the U.S. in 2010.

Apple invested a lot of effort (and money) in many years (since Newton) in the iPad. The success is earned by hard work and dedication. It didn't become a success overnight. Rumor had it that the iPad was ready for market before the iPhone, although the latter was publicized first.

Competitors will have to work hard to deserve a slice of the tablet market. So far, I feel that they haven't done enough homework ...

That's too bad, Asus had the best tablets I'd seen at CES. They also make the best netbooks with good displays and long battery life. They were the only other company I saw using IPS across the entire range.

Let's not beat about the bush here. There is a Market of tens of millions of users here. Unfortunately for google these users want an 'i' device.

Like it or not (the trolls don't, but hey, THEY are the minority) the masses want Apple, the ecosystem, no fuss no mess tablet.

Google are finally "getting it", they have locked down 3.0 going forward and want to vet the front ends to make sure the experience is universal. Android NEEDS to be like iOS and Windows mobile to gain real traction. You need to assure your customers and developers that your device WILL be updated at the same time. How confident can you be in buying a samsung tablet that an update may or may not come in it's cycle lifetime? Potentially leaving you unable to run current applications. It's not a good place to be in.